Civics Midterm Review

The idea of popular sovereignty is most related to which of the following statements from the preamble of the Constitution?

"We the people of the United States"

What Amendment includes freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition and religion?

1st Amendment

What are the qualifications to be President?

35 years old, 14 years a resident of the US, natural born citizen

During a trial in which she is being tried for murder, Lisa chooses not to take the witness stand. What Amendment is she exercising?

5th amendment- no self incrimination

Which type of committee has members from the House and the Senate?

A joint committee

The Constitutional principle of checks and balances is exemplified by

A. Presidential veto

Which of the following is likely to occur in a dictatorship?

A. The government can take immediate action by making decisions without the people's consent

The federal government spends money on health care, Social Security, and veterans' benefits. Which public issue is most connected to these expenses?

A. graying population

Which document is matched to it's owner?

B. Thomas Jefferson- Declaration of Independence

Which of the following is an example of US democracy in action?

B. Your mom goes to the polls to vote for your school's tax levy

What term is used to describe the person who brings an action into a court of law?

B. plaintiff

Which is an example of racism?

C. A police officer pulling over a suspect based on the color of their skin

What happened as a result of the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Declatory Act, and Townshend Acts?

Colonists united in their anger against the British taxation without representation

What was the pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775 that argued in favor of colonial independence and representative government?

Common Sense

Which statement is an example of concurrent jurisdiction?

D. A suit may reach any of two or more courts

What statement explains the tossed salad theory?

D. America is made up of many people with individual identities

British taxation without representation was the major reason for passing what document?

Declaration of Independence

What is the main difference between democracy and dictatorship?

Democracy: people have control of the government Dictatorship: one person has all control

What executive cabinet organization is designed to prevent terrorist attacks in the US?

Department of Homeland Security

What government department houses the attorney general?

Department of Justice

How were geography and slavery related?

Geography determined the type of crops grown and the maount of work needed

What court case helped established supremacy of the US Constitution?

Gibbons vs. Ogden

The three-fifths Compromise addressed what problem?

How to count population for the purpose of taxation and representation in the House of Representatives

The ideal representative government was strengthened by the writings of an 18th century English philosopher named what?

John Locke

What political philosopher is best known for developing the concept of "social contract"?

John Locke

What document was written by the Pilgrims that contained the idea that the power to govern should come from the consent of the people?

Mayflower Compact

Which geographical region of colonial North America was known for cold climate and strong Puritan population?

New England

What can Congress do in response to a presidential veto to pass the bill?

Override veto

What legislative body drafted the Declaration of Independence?

Second Continental Congress

The President is Commander in Chief of the military. Congress passes laws and can amend the Constitution . The Supreme Court reviews new laws. The facts above are all examples of _________ principles of the Constitution

Separation of powers

No power to collect taxes, __________, and no executive branch or national judiciary led to the creation of the US Constitution.

Shay's Rebellion

What geographical region in colonial North America was best known for it's focus on agriculture and society based on English aristocracy?

Southern

Why did the Continental Congress have a difficult time funding the Continental Army?

The Articles of Confederation had no power to collect taxes

The development of representative institutions in the colonies during the 17th and 18th century was aided by a movement called __________, a popularization of science and reason.

The Enlightenment

What is believed to be the first written Constitution in the world?

The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

What plan settled the debate over state representation in Congress?

The Great Compromise

What was the 1st representative institution to convene during the colonial period in America?

The House of Burgesses

Which of the following conventions of American government reflects the principle of popular sovereignty?

The House of Representatives is made up people elected every 2 years

What was the Boston Tea Party a reaction to?

The Tea Act-- created a monopoly for the British East India Company

"out of many, one" relates to the United States by

The US nation is made from many states

What was the first representative legislature in the colonies?

The Virginia House of Burgesses

Why did the Articles of Confederation have to be replaced by the Constitution?

The weak central government it created had to be strengthened

What reason best explains why the anti-federalists argued for a Bill of Rights?

They wanted protection against the tyranny of the central government

What us the jurisdiction of appellate courts?

To correct legal errors of lower courts

What is the president's official objection to a bill called?

a veto

What is an aspect of representative democracy that separates it from direct democracy?

an elected group of people make laws

Who selects US Court justices?

appointed by the President, approved by the Senate

How did the Swann v Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1969) verify the US Constitution as supreme law of the land?

attempted to force integration in public schools

What term describes a written statement explaining the arguments of one position in a court proceeding?

brief

What is the term for the count of the entire US population?

census

Let's say that the people from North Carolina are unhappy with one of their senators in Washington DC. They are upset because he has not done anything he promised to do during the election.What is the most likely way the citizens of North Carolina can have their views better represented?

circulate a petition to remove the senator from office

What term describes the technique of ending a filibuster in the Senate?

cloture

What term best describes a body of law based on custom and general principles, operation through the use of individual cases as precedents for future decisons?

common law

If the House of Representatives and the Senate do not accept each other's position on a bill, what is most likely going to happen?

conference committee

What type of leader was Adolf Hitler?

dictator

What type of ruler was Mussolini?

dictator

Which term best describes the religious beliefs in the Middle colonies?

diverse

What is the 6th Amendment in the Bill of right concerned with?

due process

What jurisdiction allows only one court to rule on certain subject matters?

exclusive jurisdiction

Because of the Constitutional principle of _________ , the central government must share power with local and state governments

federalism

What term is used to describe someone who favored a strong central government?

federalist

What term is used to describe a tactic available to senators who wish to block the passage of a bill?

filibuster

How did Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896) verify the Constitution as supreme law of the land?

it upheld the "separate but equal" principle

What type of opinion becomes a law in a supreme court decision?

majority opinion

George III was the king of England from 1760-1820. As ruler of the British Empire, King George's policies led to discontent in the American colonies. This content sparked a revolution in 1776, in which the Americans won their Independence from the king's rule. King George's government was what kind of government?

monarchy

What type of jurisdiction do district courts always have? Never have?

original, appellate

What is the meaning of the 9th amendment?

people have more rights than what is specifically in the Constitution

During the Treaty of Paris of 1783, what were the primary issues the American negotiators fought for?

recognition of US Independence and making boundaries

What aspect of American identity was most impacted by the "first great awakening"?

religious pluralism

What term describes a situation in which the state is governed by a set of rules, rather than a group of individuals?

rule of law

What services are provided by the Internal Revenue Service?

tax collection and education

What was the main reason the American colonists wanted to break off from Great Britain and form their own representative government?

taxation without representation

How is "For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us..." addressed in the Constitution?

the 3rd Amendment forbids this

What British document greatly influenced the Bill of Rights?

the Magna Carta

The public policy statement "ignorance of the law is no excuse" places responsibility primarily on whom?

the citizens

Why did the idea of representative government gain popularity in colonial America?

the colonists believed in the principle of self rule

What does the term "loose interpretation" of the Constitution mean?

the document permitted everything that it did not specifically state was not allowed

What is an absolute monarch?

the leader of a country with complete power

What does the 2nd Amendment state?

the right to bear arms

What does it mean for a court to have judicial review?

the right to declare laws unconstitutional

How did the colonists react to the Stamp Act?

they boycotted British goods

What was the main purpose of the Federalist Papers?

to increase support of the Constitution

What problem was addressed in the New Jersey Plan?

unequal representation of smaller states